THE FIRST HOWL
310 Words
Episode 3
The sun hadn’t yet broken the horizon when Mira stepped into the woods behind Moonridge Academy. Mist hung low, curling between the tree trunks like smoke. A crisp breeze whispered through the branches. She balanced a basket of uniforms on one hip, her boots crunching damp leaves with every cautious step.
Laundry duty, at dawn. Because I’m the lowest on the ladder. Great.
But the forest was quieter than usual. Not peaceful—watchful. Like it was holding its breath.
Then—snap.
She froze. A twig behind her. Too heavy for a squirrel. Her breath hitched.
"Hello?" she called, voice small.
No answer.
Then came the howl—low, deep, and close. It reverberated through her bones. Mira spun around, eyes wide.
Emerging from the fog, just a few feet away, stood a wolf.
But not an ordinary one. It was huge—silver-coated, eyes glowing with eerie intelligence. It didn’t growl. It didn’t pounce. It just... stared.
And Mira stared back, heart thudding wildly, fear and fascination locked in a standoff.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, the wolf turned and vanished into the trees.
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Later, inside the East Wing
Mira scrubbed the marble floor, still shaken. She looked up just as Elias Storm stepped out of his room, shirt half-buttoned, hair damp.
He paused when he saw her.
"You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
"I saw something... in the woods. A wolf."
A flicker of something—recognition?—passed over his face.
"There are no wolves near the academy," he said flatly. "You imagined it."
"No," she whispered, standing. "It was real."
Elias didn’t respond. He simply walked past her—but not before she noticed something strange:
Mud on his bare feet. Red-brown soil. The exact color from the forest trail.
Mira stared after him, unsettled.
He’s lying. But why?
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- Writer
